SALEM - A group that advocates a crackdown on illegal immigration said it will begin collecting signatures soon to place an initiative on Oregon’s November 2008 ballot aimed at ending what it calls a “subculture of illegality.”

Oregonians for Immigration Reform said its measure would establish tougher driver’s license requirements to keep illegal immigrants off the roads and require proof of citizenship when people register to vote to prevent potential fraud.

The proposed initiative also would allow local police to work with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to deport people who are in the country illegally.

Jim Ludwick, president of Oregonians for Immigration Reform, said the Legislature could head off the group’s initiative by passing similar measures in its February special session.

“We’ve created a subculture of illegality in the United States, in which a certain group of people are given free rein not to obey our laws,” Ludwick said Tuesday.

However, immigrant rights activist Aeryca Steinbauer said immigration needs to be handled at the federal level and that the proposed initiative won’t solve anything.

“These local, state proposals are only creating more fear and division,” Steinbauer said.

The driver’s license issue has been particularly difficult for lawmakers.

During the 2007 session, the House and Senate couldn’t agree on a bill to carry out a federal mandate to bring Oregon’s licenses under a national standard, in large part because of worries about cost and privacy issues raised by the Real ID act.

Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski is looking at making it tougher for someone to prove they are in the country legally before they can get an Oregon license.

But Kulongoski also supports creation of a secondary license for those who can’t provide proof of legal residence — which includes many undocumented residents who work in Oregon’s agricultural, construction and service industries.

Ludwig said Tuesday, however, that there should only be one driver’s license, and that people should have to produce a valid social security number before getting a license or registering to vote.

“Just because the governor wants to give them a driving privilege card does not mean they would be law abiding,” he said.

House Majority Leader Dave Hunt, D-Gladstone, noted that the governor’s lawyers are researching whether Kulongoski could by executive rule impose more stringent requirements to obtain a driver’s license. The controversy also is likely to come up in the February session, he said.

“We are going to continue to work on finding a solution to this issue,” he said.